Recording and indicating device for fire extinguishers



Oct. 7 1924- J. NORTON RECORDING AND INDICATING DEVICE FOR FIRE EX'I' INGUISHERS Filed Jan. 18 1924 ITLJZJQILf/OY- Jerowvs B Nari/071). zed- 7 Patented Oct. 7, 1924.

UNITED STATES T HE.

JEROME B. NORTON, OF ROSLINDALE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSINO'R T0 BADGER EXTINGUISHER COMPANY, .OF BOSTO MASSACHUSETTS.

it, MASSACHUSETTS, A coRroRArIon or RECQRDING AND IND'ICATING DEVICE FOR FIRE EXTINGUISHERS.

Application'filed January 18, 1924 Serial No. 687,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEROME B. NORTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roslindale, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Recording and In-- dicating Devices for Fire Extinguishers, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a recording and indicating device for portable, chemical fire tipped and said chemicals and water united, it is necessary to recharge the extinguisherwith fresh chemicals and water in order that said extinguisher will function properly when again employed. It is furthermore very important that this type of fire extinguisher shall be recharged periodically in order that the user may be assured that the extinguisher will function efficiently when employed in an emergency.

With these facts in mind, it will be evident that it is important that a record shall be kept upon the extinguisher of the date when the latter is last recharged, and it is also desirable that a means shall also be provided for automatically indicating the fact that the extinguisher has been tipped, sufficiently to mix the water with the chemicals even though all of the contents may not have been use The object, therefore, of this invention is to provide a device which may be clamped rigidly in position upon a portable chemical fire extinguisher, said device being provided with an indicator upon which is recorded the date when the fire extinguisher is charged, said date being visible through an open-v ing in the cover of the device, the indicator being mounted within the casing'of the device in such a manner that when the fire extinguisher is tipped, as is necessary in operating the same, said indicator will also tip a sufficient amount to move from view that portion of the surface thereof upon which the charging date is recorded, and at the same time move into view a colored surface, and said colored surface will continue to remain in'view and thereby-indicate that the extinguisher has been used, even after said extinguisher has been returned to its normal upright position and until it has been recharged, when the new date is placed upon the indicator and the latter is reset in its nor-- malposition bythe person who recharges the extinguisher.

The invention consists in the combinaf.

tion and arrangement of parts as set forth in the following specification and particularly as pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l represents a front elevation of the upper portion of a portable, chemical fire extinguisher of well known construction, a recording and indicating device embodying my invention being illustrated clamped thereto. r

. Fig. 2 is a central vertical section through the deviceas taken on the line 22 of Fig.1. Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the device with the cover thereof removed and with the indicator located in its normal position.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation with thecover' removed, but illustrating the indicator in its tipped position.

Like numerals refer to out the several viewsof the drawings.

In the drawings, 5 represents the upper portion of a portable, chemical fire extinguisher of well known construct1on,-6 represents a cover for said extingulsher and 7 represents a handleportion formedintegral with said cover. The recording and indicating device of this invention embodies therein a casing 8 which is rigidly secured to the handle portion 7 of the fire-extinguisher 5 through the medium of a suitable clamp 9, the latten embodying therein a portion 10 whichis formed integral withthe casing 8, and a cap v11, andthe handle portion 7 is clamped securely between the portion 10 of the casing Sand the cap 11 through the medium of suitable screws 12.

The casing 8 is provided with a suitable chamber 18 thereinat the center of which is a boss 14 which isformed'integral with the rear wall of the casing 8. A cover 15 is provided for the front of the casing 8,

like parts throughsaid cover being detachably secured to said casingby a suitablescrew 16 which engages All the boss 1 1. The cover is provided with a circular opening 17 therein and a plate 13 of suitable transparent material, as for example, glass or celluloid, is secured in any suitable manner between the cover 15 and the front edge of the casing 3, said transparent material extending across said opening 17.

The provided with a shouldered portion 19 formed thereon, and an indicator 20 is loosely mounted to rotate upon said shoulder. The indicator 20 embodies therein a front member 21 constructed of a suitable sheet material, preferably paper or cardboard which is stiffened and strengthened by a similarly shaped backing member 22, preferably, constructed of sheet metal. The front surface of the indicator 20 is provided with a recording surface 23 preferably circular in form and approximately the size of the opening 1'? in the cover 15, and said recording surface has the word Charged clearly printed thereon beneath which is a clear space upon which the date when the fire extinguisher is charged or recharged may be recorder as indicated. The remainder of the front surface of the indicator 20, or at least the portion 24; thereof, is colored, preferably red.

Rig-idly fastened to the rear of the ind-icator 20 is a suitable weight 25 which normally acts to hold said indicator in the position illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3, and

also to rock said indicator into the position illustrated in Fig. 4 when the fire extinguisher 5 is tipped to approximately an inverted position. A spring 26 is mounted in the chamber 13 of the casing 8, being positioned therein upon a post 27, preferably formed integral with the rear wall of said casing, and one end of said spring is bent at 28 and yieldingly engages the periphery of the indicator 20. A pin 31'holds the indicator 20 in its normal position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 3. The other end portion 29 of the spring 26 bears against the inner wall of the casing 8 as illustrated in Fig. 3. The indicator 20 has a notch 30 located at a suitable position in the periphcry thereof and when the fire extinguisher 5 is inverted in operating the same, said indicator will rock upon the shoulder 19. of the boss 14 until an edge portion thereof engages a stop pin 32 whereupon the portion 23 of the spring 26 will spring into said notch 30, and said indicator will thereafter be held locked securely in its tipped position, at which time the colored surface 2% of said indicator will be visible through the o ening 17 in the cover 15, and said colored surface will continue to be visible through said opening even after the extinguisher 5 has been returned to its normal boss 14 within the chamber 13 is displayed will be a signal that the fire extinguisher has been tipped and that it should be recharged before being again operated, and when said extinguisher is recharged, the date is recorded upon the recording surface 23 of the indicator 20 and the latter is again returned to its normal position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, in which position the recharging date will be visible through the opening 17.

it will be seen that a lire extinguisher equipped with the device of this invention will always have the charging date clearly visible thereon if time elapses'and the fire extinguisher hasnot been used, it can easily be determined when said extinguisher should be again recharged. ()n the other hand, if the lire extinguisher is used, and has beentipped a sufficient amount to mix the chemicals and water, that this fact will be indicated by the display of the colored surface of the indicator through the opening 17 and the display of said colored surface will be a reminder to the proper persons that the lire extinguisher should be imme diatcly recharged.

1 claim:

1. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in con1- bination, a casing and a gravity actuated indicator pivotally mounted in said casing and adapted to rock therein when'said casing is tipped beyond a predetermined angle.

2. In. combination, a lire extinguisher and an indicating device mounted upon said lire extinguisher and embodying therein a casing and an indicator rotatably mounted in said casing and adapted to automatically display a visible signal when said lire extinguisher is tipped beyond a predetermined angle.

A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, a gravity actuated indicator mounted in said casing and adapted to rock therein when said casing is tipped and means to lock said indicator in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

at. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in ccmbination, a casing, an indicator mounted in said casing, means fast to said indicator adapted to rock the latter when said casing is tipped and means to lock sa-idindicator in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

5. a recording and indicating device of the character described comp ising, in combination, a casing, an indicator'mounted in said casing, a weight fast to said indicator and positioned to rotate the latter when said upri ht position. The colored surface thuscasing is tipped-and means to locks-aidindicator in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

6. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, an indicator mounted in said casing, a weight fast to said indicator and positioned to rotate the latter when said casing is tipped, means to loosely hold said indicator in its normal position and means to automatically lock said indicator in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

7. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, an indicator mounted in said casing, a weight fast to said indicator and positioned to rotate the latter when said casing is tipped and a spring yieldingly engaging said indicator and co-operating therewith to automatically lock the same in a tipped position to prevent a rthrn movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

8. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing, an indicator mounted in said casing and provided with a notch in the periphery thereof, a weight fast to said indicator and positioned to rotate the latter when said casing is tipped and a spring yieldingly engaging the periphery of said indicator and interlocking with said notch when said indicator is located in a: tipped position thereby preventing a return movement of said indicator to its normal position when said casing is returned to its normal position. 7

9. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with an opening therein, a gravity actuated indicator mounted in said casing and provided with a recording surface thereon normally visible through said opening, said indicator being adapted to rock within said casing when the latter is tipped to move the recording surface thereof out of view through said opening and means to automatically lock said indicator in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

10. A recording and indicating device of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with an opening therein, a gravity actuated indicator mounted in said casing and provided witlf a re-.

cording surface thereon normally visible through said opening, said indicator also being provided with an indicating surface thereon and being adapted to rock within said casing when the latter is tipped to move the recording surface thereof out of view through said opening and to move said indicating surface into view through said opening and means to automatically lock said indicator in a tipped position with said indicating surface in view through said openmg.

11. A recording and indicatingvdevice of the character described comprising, in combination, a casing provided with an opening therein, a gravity actuated indicator mounted in said casing and provided with a recording surface thereon normally visible through said opening, said indicator also being provided with an indicating surface thereon and being adapted to rock within said casing when the latter is tipped to move the recording surface thereof out of view through said opening and to move said indicating surface into view through said opening and 'a spring yieldingly engaging said indicator and co-operating therewith to antomatically lock the same in a tipped position to prevent a return movement thereof when said casing is returned to its normal position.

12. A recording and indicating device for a fire extinguisher comprising, in combination, a casing provided with an opening therein, means to clamp said casing to a fire extinguisher, a gravity actuated indicator mounted in said casing and provided with a recording surface thereon normally visible through said opening, said indicator also being provided with a colored surface thereon and being adapted to rock within said casing when said fire extinguisher is tipped to move the recording surface of said indicator out of view through said opening and to move said colored surface into view through said opening, a spring yieldingly engaging the periphery of said indicator and interlocking therewith when the latter is located in a tipped position thereby preventing a return movement of said indicator to its normal position when said fire extinguisher is returned to its normal position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEROME B. NORTON. Witnesses:

FRANKLIN E. Low, KATHRYN M. JOYCE. 

